Sporting KC Manager Peter Vermes
On tonight's game:
“Obviously this was a big test for us from the perspective of what went on here last week in the game against LAFC. We knew they were going to be in an emotional high and that it was going to be a difficult game at the same time I think we came in and we played with a lot of confidence in the game. We owned the ball which was a good thing and then getting two goals in the second half as close as they work together was a big step. We had a little luck no doubt they hit a post here or there but no doubt we deserve the three points.”
On the team's performance:
“To be able to keep the ball as we did and build out of the back in another team's stadium and own the ball if you will, it was excellent on our part to be able to do that in this type of environment against this type of team. LA has so many different weapons on it that it is not an easy team to play against because they are so good in transition especially from defense to offense and I thought that we handled it pretty well.”
On team being able to find goals:
“I think it is a couple of things. I think it is new players, I think there is a level of confidence within the group. I also think we are creating very good chances which are high caliber chances but at the end I don't want to say that they are easy but they are easier to score and I also think that we are very hungry in and around the box.”
Sporting KC forward Johnny Russell
On scoring a goal tonight:
“I just made the run in and a great play from Roger [Espinoza] to see the run and from there I knew in my head that I wanted to go with my left foot. I managed to find the gap between them and from there I managed to squeeze it in at the end as well.”
On the team's performance:
“We have been working hard and working hard defensively. We have been trying to keeping the ball which has been key this week especially with some of the heat that you play in. So if you can keep the ball for large periods of the game you are going to do well. I think once we got our chances we took them well as well.”
On facing the LA Galaxy:
“We've showed this season although it been a short time into the season but we've showed that we could go on the road and pack up points that is the attitude we came here with. We knew that it was going to be difficult game, they are a great side but we were confident in our game plan that if could come here and playing it out we had a good chance of getting the three points.”
Sporting KC goalkeeper Tim Melia
On the team's performance:
“That was a huge team performance from minute one. Everyone was in good balance, good shape and everyone was competing. That is something I don't think we have done this year yet, competing from zero to 90 plus minutes and I think because of that competition and the way we came out we got the result we deserved. Everyone was just competing all over the place. Throwing their body in front of a shot. Not losing those individual battles in the air. It really was a good team performance.”
On making a club record 10 saves tonight:
“I think the team and the way that we played should be more in the light than me being a statistical thing. All the shots were from far out. Those were the type of shots that goalkeepers want and those are the type of shots that we were so balanced we were forcing them to have to take.”
LA Galaxy head coach Sigi Schmid
On the game:
“I think we deserved a goal. For sure I think we did enough to deserve a goal, if not two. But, obviously our defending wasn’t good on the two goals that we took, especially the second one. I thought there was, again, a massive difference in our effort in the last 30 minutes versus the first 60. And, we have to play the first 60 like we played the last 30.”
On the LA Galaxy’s defensive performance:
“We need to be better at winning our duels. I think in the last 30 minutes we won our duels. We got in to people, and we won tackles, and we won 50/50 balls. I think prior to that we didn’t, and then that makes it hard to play defense. Plus, you also need the help of your attacking players to help you defend. They at least need to shape where the opponent is going. They at least need to dictate the flow of the game. And sometimes we do that, and sometimes we don’t do it very well. And, that’s something we’ve got to work on, and we’ve got to do better. We need to defend with more than just six.”
On Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s impact on the game:
“I’m sure his energy helps that, because the crowds energy gets into the game, and that helps as well. That helps the players, because they respond to the crowd. And, Zlatan [Ibrahimovic] obviously draws attention of the opposition, so that opens up some space for everybody. Again, it was one of those things that after we went down two to nothing, just before that, we were down one nothing and then you could see us start to ramp it up again. But, I’m sick and tired of us going down a goal before we decide to wake up.”
On Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s overall performance:
“I thought it was okay. He’s not going to work miracles every time he steps on the field, but certainly he forced the goalkeeper into some saves. He’s still getting his full touch and fitness back, and so each week hopefully it’ll be a little more that we can play him.”
LA Galaxy forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic
On what he took from the team’s offensive performance:
“The output was that we lost the game. It doesn’t matter if you hit the post. If you don’t score you don’t win. I think they wanted it more than us. Losing 2-0 at home is not good. Of course it’s not good. Last game we were losing 3-0 at home so we need to focus more from the beginning and be more stable in our game. We need to be more hungry from the beginning.”
On how he felt after the game:
“Today I felt good. It’s not easy to come in. Last game I came in 3-1, this game I came in 2-0. I tried to help the team, I tried to create chances and tried to score. Sometimes it doesn’t go in, sometimes it goes in.”
On how far he is from being able to play 90 minutes:
“Let’s see. I’ve been injured for a long time. People forget when I play the first game and score two goals…you shouldn’t forget that I was out for almost one year. I came back for [Manchester] United and played six or seven games. But we need to step it up day by day. We need to be intelligent. But I feel ready. I feel good. Next game, I’m probably there from the start. But it depends on what the coach is thinking and what he wants.”
On Sporting KC wanting it more than LA Galaxy:
“Of course it’s not good. We’re playing at home. The last game at home we had that comeback and we had that confidence. But everything is new for me. If they are not hungry, I’ll make sure they will be hungry.”
On sparking the team’s mentality:
“You have to wake up not even in the first minute, but in the warm up. That is where you start everything. There can be many small details that make the difference. Why are we not awake from the beginning…I don’t know. I’ve been here one week. I look, I learn and then I go for the kill.”
LA Galaxy defender Ashley Cole
On the fixing the team’s defensive approach:
“We keep conceding kind of easy goals. It’s not just the defense you have to blame. I think we have to look as a team to see the reasons why they are counterattacking every time. It’s a tough loss to take today, but credit to them. They are a very good team.”
On the team’s intensity:
“I think in the last game we go three goals behind, then we wake up. We start working hard and we start running that little bit more. It was the same today, but that has to be from minute one. It has to be that same mentality and work ethic. We have to defend as a team because if you want to win, you can’t concede goals like we did today.”
On what he can do as a captain to change that mentality:
“We’ve been over videos so many times. But like I said last year, I can’t help everyone every time. They are playing for LA Galaxy. Everyone has to be good enough. I don’t need to hold anyone’s hand. Everyone has to be accountable for their actions. As a captain, I can try and motivate them and show them the videos and show them what we have to do more of defensively. But in the games, things happen quick.”
LA Galaxy defender Jorgen Skjelvik
On the team’s defensive performance:
“We need more intensity and aggression in our defense. Kansas City had the ball too much and we just sat back and waited on them instead of going out there and pressing them and taking control at home. We need to step up intensity and the work rate.”
On the team’s defensive mentality:
“I think we were too defensive going out. Like I said, we were waiting for Kansas City and let them have the ball instead of controlling the game at home. We need to be more aggressive.”
On if chemistry is the biggest issue for the defense:
“I don’t think that should be an issue. It’s more about our mentality to go out there and be aggressive.”
On how much energy Zlatan Ibrahimović gives the Galaxy when he’s on the field:
“We were better in the last 30 minutes than we were in the first 60 so of course he gave us some energy. We had more shots on goal when he came in, but we can’t wait for him to come in every match. We have to do the work before he comes in also.”
